Crysis Warhead

"An action oriented Crysis Sidestory"

Crysis Warhead is a side story of Crysis. The game basically follows one of the other characters from the original game. Since it is an expansion as apposed to a sequel, the game is shorter and the game play is pretty much the same. The main difference is that there is more emphasis on action in this game. However, there is still the “sandbox” style game-play which lets you choose how to proceed. So if you don't want the hardcore action, you can choose stealth as well, just like in the original. In some ways this game is better and in some ways worse than the original Crysis, although its mostly better.

Graphics
The graphics are pretty much the same. CryTech, the games developer, claims that the game is more optimized. That is very possible. I noticed that I had less slowdowns using the same system as the original. At the same time, I had more graphical glitches than in the original. The most common was that the faces of the characters wouldn't be detailed until you got close to them…at least in the beginning of the levels. That never really happened after 45 seconds or so. I also got slow downs when there were a lot of enemies nearby. Note that I have an AMD 6000+, 2 GIG RAM, ATI 2900HD, and Vista 64. So I don't have anything near the best system to play that game. If you have Vista I recommend you have more than 2 gig or ram...and my graphics card is more than a year old which most people can do better. Now that that is all cleared up, the graphics are amazing, just like in the original game.

Sound
Again, this is pretty much the same as in the original game. Personally, I think its better because I like Psycho's British accent. You will hear many more explosions in the game than in the original, so its possible that you will actually enjoy the sound better in this game. That is a matter of personal preference however.

Controls
Same controls exactly. Nothing was really added, so there isn't much to talk about. The suite, vehicle, and character controls are all the same.

Game Play
Now here is where the difference is. In the first game you are encouraged more to use stealth, although you weren't required to. In this game, you are encouraged to go in guns blazing, although you aren't required to. That is the game play difference in a nutshell. This game has levels that are a little more geared toward action. There are plenty of times that I found myself running through the bushes with cloak on, just as in the original. So you still have that “different-each-time” type game play that we know and love from Crysis and FarCry. There are 2 or 3 spots that you are forced to fight large battles, escorting a train is one of those cases. The bulk of the game though, is your choice.

The last level is really awesome because its one huge battle after another. In the last level you have to assault a base head on. I managed to get up to the game of the base without being spotted, but once I entered the alarm went off. I'm sure its possible to continue farther going the stealth route, but it will take a lot longer. What is also good in this game is that the heavy walkers are not as invincible in this game. You actually get to fight quite a few of these things, and yes…normal weapons will work although it will take a long time.

The only new weapon that is worth mentioning is the experimental beam weapon you get at the end of the game. There are others, like dual-weld pistols and a pretty cool grenade launcher, but overall, this game fails at new content. The main purpose of the game is to let you live the story of Psycho on the other side of the island.

Story
The story is truly the reason you are going to want to play this game. In the original, you play as Nomad going through the island. You end up getting separated from the team one way or another. Psycho actually goes off to help another team of commando's on the other side of the island. You get to find out what Psycho actually does. It also explains how that dead alien was captured when you get back to the carrier in the original game. Most of the game is you trying to locate and protect that crate with the frozen/dead alien exoskeleton in it. Basically, the North Koreans are trying to take it for there own study, but you would rather study it for yourself.

That is pretty much it. The game is more of Crysis game play with a little action flare to it. Plus, you get to play the story from another perspective. If there was one level most people didn't seem to like from Crysis, it was the zero gravity missions. Well, you don't have that here. If you enjoyed Crysis, then you will enjoy this game, there is no doubt about it. Plus the game is only $29.99, you can't really beat that.

Finally, for the record, this game took me about 7 to 8 hours to complete. It can be shortened a great deal if you know exactly where to go or can be lengthened if you want to do stealth as much as possible. Considering that is longer than some full blown games today, it's hard to think of this game as an expansion, except that it has an expansion price. As a comparison, I completed Crysis in about 12 to 14 hours. Truly a great addition to the FPS genre.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/30/08

Game Release: Crysis Warhead (US, 09/16/08)